In spring 2007 we have renovated our cat room completey.

We have installed underfloor heating; walls were taken off, the room got new tiles and new furniture.
We agreed upon getting something very special for this cat room.

Sadly enough we could not find any tiles with cat motives and were almost completely frustrated. We did not want to take cat stickers; it should be something really special....

We were seeking everywhere and at last we received the all deciding hint from our breeder's friend Addi - Thanks so much.

We should contact Mrs. Sonja Beuthner, porcelain artist in Zwickau. Mrs Beuthner learnt porcelain craft in Meißen - "Meißen China resp. porcelain" is known all over the world. Said and done!

This wonderful extraordinary tile wall painting was the result

 of all our ideas, drafts and pictures.

Forever with us on this painting our cat Victoria's Secret Song

Hio and my Argentinan stud Shamandu In My Dreams, who passed

 away so early and who remains my dream stud.

The pagode in the background stands for the legend of the Sacred Birman.

The roses in this picture were painted as symbols for our cattery name (of the rose patio).

The tile wall painting was installed by our tiler Johann Hallhuber

in a way that it could be removed and installed in another place.

We wuold like to thank all involved people. Each time we look

at this fantastic tile wall painting we can say:

 We are very proud of our cat art.

.

Preparation

1. coloured outline on A3 paper in order to choose the motives for the client

2. Cat motives will be drawn onto one tile each using porcelain paint; then the tiles will be fired

3. Extra tile "pagode" and extra tile "rose branch" are painted with procelain paint and fired (as test  to see how the paint reacts on the tile ceiling after the firing of 830°C in the ceramic oven)

main working cycles

1. Combination/arrangement of the entire tile painting (30 tiles) with distance pieces (3-4mm)

2. Drawing of the entire painting (incl. landscape on the back- and foreground etc.) using a pencil (Stabilo)

3. Laying out the respective tiles

4. Working out (details) the respective tiles

5. Each tile is fired (twice resp. several times at 830°C)

My experince

These flat gloss tiles need a lot of paint.

Gloss tiles are more suitable for a tile painting since the paint joins better during firing, flows better.

Lighter tiles are always more suitable, white or cream without any or only a little marbling.

by Sonja Beuthner